[Diane] Chapter 3: The Road to New Binmoor

[Anima mea]

"I wonder, can heroes use elements freely as a general thing or is it determined by birth as well?"  Without thinking to greatly about it she holds her hand out towards a seemingly uninhabited area of the country side and speaks, "Light that which gives life and illumined the world burn past the impurities of the world!  Radiant arrow!

[Throndir]

When you attempted to cast the spell, you saw a similar message as when you had attempted to cast the Darkness spell from the day before.

Attribute not yet unlocked.

"There had been a story of a person being able to use it later in their life, though, scholars had debated whether or not they were actually born with it. In the end there was no conclusion."

[Anima mea]

She listens intently and shakes her head, "It appears like darkness that element isn't unlocked for me.  Or at least that's what the window that just popped up for me said.  So maybe I will be able to unlock it later.  Anyway, perhaps resting tonight, at least from casting and learning the theory will help me tomorrow." 

Grinning, she pats his shoulder again, "Thankn you again for yesterday the meal was fantastic. And I am sorry that I had that confrontation yesterday with yourself and Kayden.  It needed to be done and well it seemed like you two were the ones out of the group that might be the hardest to convince.  I need us all to get along if what I plan to do is to have a chance.  Understand that like you guys coming from another world and being lost in what to do and so forth, Kayden is one of the first female knights to be taken somewhat seriously and that makes her want to do more to keep it that way.  In a way she is fighting like women in my world did to have equal treatment.  She wants to end the menace of the demons and put the world at peace, but she has to work the system she is in to do so.  And you have your system to work through to care for the village.  So what I am asking is, give her a chance to work in her own way.  I know I am new to this world, but I need both Kayden and her knights and you two and the villagers to make this work as a hero.  So will you please work with me and Kayden herself to make this work as smoothly as possible?"

[Throndir]

Roll Diplomacy for Make Request

[Anima mea]

Rolled 1d20+3 : 3 + 3, total 6

Diplo roll

[Throndir]

Kenver sighed. "Everyone has their own problems to work through. Along with their own circumstances in life. My own world generally does not have women riding as knights, but that wasn't what I was concerned with either. It was the fact that she's simply being a lapdog for a country who cares not for you, but only sees you as an asset. Originally, Maban and I were to not keep you company at all once we summoned you, but we've heard of stories of unruly heroes even becoming enslaved to Felencorp masters in order to keep them in line. Kayden may indeed have the right motiviations, but it's not that I doubt her, but her masters and superiors who have since dried out our village, took most able-bodied men to be forcefully conscripted, and who's tales I've heard from travellers painting a poor light on the country as a whole."

"Of course I'll do my best for you, hero Diane... But I'll stand my ground if this country tries to abuse their power and abuse you."

[Anima mea]

Diane sighs softly, "What I intend to do is unite the world.  Unite it as a single entity, although, it will take time and it will take the demons going away to do it.  I need help getting that done.  I'll need other heroes' help and I'll need the nations to unite.  However, I have to work on the micro level to get that change started.   That means I need to grow as a hero, learn as much as I can magically. And lastly, I need to learn as much as I can about the materials and crafts of this world.  I need to open up a shop and start producing machinery so that I can get approval and funding for expanding the lines of communication and the reach of the transportation system I plan to implement. "

Squeezing the bridge of her nose, she closes her eyes, "I have a lot of plans and if I intend to push them forward I will need all of my friends or group as it were, to help me.  I know I've not been the ideal hero that you would like, but I am trying and I know that you guys are too.  I appreciate it, immensely, there are no words for how much I appreciate it. There are lots of reasons I shouldn't be a hero, I'm not a people person, I'm too analytical instead of intuitive about relationships.  I am absolutely horrid with people's feelings and to be honest, I'm surprised that you two haven't smacked me around for being oblivious to most everything when I start thinking."

[Throndir]

"You are doing more than we can ever thank you for. If anything, keep that in mind. My brother and I know very well that heroes summoned to this world leave behind whatever world they knew... Well, in your case, perhaps an afterlife somewhere in the realm of the gods would have been preferred than the war that this world brings. So in that regard, there should be nothing but appreciation and thankfulness on our part here, for those of this world."

Kenver reaches for your hand.

He'll draw back if you show signs of resistance.

"At least I'm thankful that you're here. You already know this, but you can count on my brother and I."

[Anima mea]

Reaching out and taking his hand in her own, sadly she misread this and grasps it firmly in a hand shake.  When she realizes what she's done she sighs, "I am sorry, you meant that another way entirely and here I turn it into a handshake." Looking frustrated for a few moments she tries to reverse the handshake into what she thought he wanted and makes it worse than just letting go. 
Finally, she blushes and let's go, "You guys had the bad luck of getting the socially inept girl who honestly has spent more time doing what is primarily a man's job instead of someone who is socially adept and could probably handle magic and being someone of importance better.  I'll try to get better at this, I promise."

[Throndir]

Kenver let out a laugh. "Oh no it's fine. You are who you are." The man continued as he let his hand reach out to the locks of your hair. "Now... you took a rather nasty hit from that ogre. But you're in luck, between my brother and I, I'm the one more skilled in first-aid treatment." He said grinning as he let down his pack, to pull out what looked to be a kit.

[Anima mea]

Shaking her head, "my first fight and I take a hit to the head.  At least we put them down." Smiling ruefully she pulls her hair back out of the way.  "Thank goodness you know first aid, I have never been good at doing it on my own injuries."

[Throndir]

The next hour was spent with Kenver tending to your wounds. By the end of it, you felt a bit better, though you knew that it would take more rest yet for all your injuries to go away. By this time, it was already starting to be late evening, and a few campfires had already been setup and created between the knights. Around your own campfire that Kenver had started was you, Kenver, Maban, Hunt, and lastly, Kayden.

State any plans for the evening, or any Training you might want to do, if nothing, we'll move scenes.

[Anima mea]

Ooc: Just some night time scheming.

Settling down on the ground Diane looks at the people around her fire, "Ok, now that we are traveling I can share my plan.  What I have planned is getting to New binmoor, training up every other day in the dungeon, with Kayden and my primary instructor on martial combat.  The days I am not training in the dungeon or need to heal, I will have Maban and Kenver training me in magic, and once I am fairly steady with divine magic, I want to learn about other types of magic.  I understand those will take longer to learn and that means work.  Nothing that comes too easy is worth the time."

She grins at Hunt, f"From there,I want to cross train our entire group in both martial and magical disciplines.  I have a hunch that it will cause our survival rate to increase.  This means that all of us will have to learn to blend martial and magical combat to some degree."

After we are steady in such, I want to dungeon train every other day as battle mages and on the off days I want to open a shop and start on developing the infrastructure of this country,  electricity, trains, steam tech and further if possible."

Holding up her hands she looks at Kayden, "I know that alone is ambitious, but the next part is something that will either work and gain is political favor or it won't.  I want to use prisoners to work in the shop. It will give them a new trade and if they are political prisoners it removes them from prison and out of political circles. Gaining us favor in various forms.  From there, IF that works out I want to start trading that technology with other nations and make moving troops and material around the countries to front easier.  A train can  go straight line.  Or perhaps troop transports that allow soldiers and knights to be placed inside a small moving fortress with potentially it's own large scale cannons or even smaller, faster shooting cannons attached.  What do all of you think?"

[Throndir]

"Other forms of magic? There are others I've heard of in this world... Though, I'm not so sure of them myself, or how much I believe it." Maban replied.

"There are other magics... For example, the elves of Lassetaure have an ancient magic that does not rely on invoking the elements such as how most of the world practices magic. Theirs is one that is closely intwined with nature itself, and are able to move plants to do their bidding. There's been rumours of other types of magic too, though it becomes harder to sift through what is real, and what are simply fantasies and stories to tell children."

When you mentioned learning both martial and magical disciplines Kenver nodded approvingly. "Anything specific you want us to learn?"

"You speak many words I do not understand the meaning of... But I am certain you'll show us what you mean in due time. Like I mentioned before, we'll have the resources of our trade capital to support the hero, for as long as you can convince my superiors and the council that it is worthwhile. From what I know so far... Your own powers aren't very... martial." Kayden said looking at the bandages wrapped around you, then back to your eyes. "I have no qualms with your plan. Though, I would insist in more martial training, to avoid any more injuries. Even though we have knights to protect you, in the thick of battle... Anything can happen."

[Anima mea]

Looking at Kayden she smiles, "I am not martial much right now, but I plan to learn to be very martial, powers or not.  As far as things I can offer, imagine a small moving fortress  that doesn't use horses and instead burns coal to turn water into steam to move it.  Allowing you to use horses for mounted units, messengers and so forth instead of pulling wagons.  Imagine whole squadrons of troops arriving to battle rested and protected until they leave the mobile fortress."

Turning to Maban and Kenver she gives them a grin that can only be called crooked, "I want you two to learn a handful of weapons and to wear at least light armor to better protect you.   Giving you options to stretch magic out or even options for when you are out of magic for the day.  I want us and the knights to be a hybrid force that will allow us to have the flexibility to fight in a variety of ways without having to bring in new troops.  And even if Kayden and her knights and pulled to another need they will have that flexibility ingrained or close to and we will have it as well."

"Regardless, I want Hunt taught everything I am, he is my squire and as such he is not to be denied anything I am allowed to learn." Turning to direct her gaze to Hunt she takes on a look between a shop foreman and older sister, "This also means you will work as hard as you can to learn and become proficient with everything you are taught until such time as it becomes second nature and you use it like breathing.  This is a hard fast rule if they are to teach you what I am taught.  Understand?"